Food mixer



June 3, 1952 F. c. SCHWANEKE 2,599,070

FOOD MIXER Filed April 11, 1950 2 sHEETSr-SHEET l @Jllllllllll Mil- IN VEN TOR ed age mam June 3, 1952 Filed April 11, 1950 F. c. SCHWANEKE2,599,070

FOOD MIXER 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented June 3, 1952 FOOD MIXER Fred C. Schwaneke, Chicago, Ill.,assignor to Dormeyer Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation ofIllinois Application April 11, 1950, Serial No. 155,167

20 Claims.

This invention relates generally to food mixers and more particularly toan improved beater or stirrer which is especially adapted for use inelectric motor driven food mixers having two or more blade elementswhich are spaced ninety degrees apart and secured at top and bottom to acentral shaft. The shafts of the two heaters are usually parallel andspaced such distance apart that the blade elements overlap andinterdigitate as the shafts are rotated in opposite directions at thesame speed.

During recent years there has been a trend to increase the power of themotors employed in household food mixers in order to provide betterspeed control, quicker mixing, and also additional power to drivecomparatively heavy duty accessory attachments. As a result of thispower increase, however, the torque available at the heaters has beengreatly increased to th point where the motor will not stall if anobject such as a spatula, spoon, or a persons finger accidentallybecomes caught in the heaters.

Although th possibility of an operator catching his finger in thebeaters is rather remote, such would be a painful injury, and probablyresult in the amputation of the finger. On the other hand, it is quitesimple for an operator to be careless and allow an implement such as aspatula to become caught in the rotating beaters. When this occurs, theusual result is that the beater blades are bent out of shape orfractured, and the article caught is extensively damaged.

Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a beaterstructure which will not be damaged in the event an object becomescaught in the beater blades, and the gearing driving the beater as wellas the entangled object will not be damaged.

Another object is to provide a beater having individual blades which arereadily removable for cleaning, the blades being firmly seated, however,so as to deliver full torque without bending during all normal mixingoperations.

Another object is to provide a household food mixer beater constructionwherein all of the blades of a beater ar uncoupled from drive re- 2lationship the instant any one of the blades strikes an object solidenough to deflect the blade appreciably.

A further object is to provide a simple compact construction having aminimum of food catching cracks or corners so as to be easy to keep in aclean, sanitary condition with or without disassembly of the blades,and, a beater construction which is inexpensive and simple to fabricate.

A further object is to provide a beater having readily removable bladeswhich may serv as a drink mixer agitator when the blades have beenremoved.

A further object is to provide an arrangementwhereby single blades maybe removed and replaced at will in the event they become damaged inhandling.

A further object is to provide an arrangement whereby the degree ofoverlapping or interdigitation of blades may be varied at will to varythe amount of cavitation and resultant aeration of the mix either byreadily adjusting the beater or by removing certain blades to accomplishideal mixing or beating characteristics for substances operated upon.

Other objects and advantages of this inven tion will of course presentthemselves to those familiar with the art on reading the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims:

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a household food mixer equipped with thebeaters of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing therelative positions of the beaters;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of a preferred form of beater;

' Fig. 4 is a top view of a beater blade when detached from the beater;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the detached blade;

Fig. 6 is a View of the beater shaft with the blades removed;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the upper bladesupporting bracket;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing the lower bladesupporting bracket;

Fig. 9 is a view showing the beater with one blade vbentinwardly to theshape it assumes when an object is caught in the heaters or it ispressed inwardly to release it for removal;

Fig. 10 is a side view, partially in section, of a modified form ofbeater; v

Fig. 11 is aview similar to Fig. 10 but showing object is encountered bythe rotating blades;

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section taken on line I2I2 of Fig.

Fig. 13 is a horizontal section taken on line l3.l3 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged view, partially in section, showing theglowerbeater ibracket;

Fig. 15'is a side view, partially in section, showing anothermodification; and

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but showing the elements in therelease position.

A fundamental principle of applicants invention is to provide egg beatertype agitators with individually acting arcuate blade elements which arereleasably attached at their ends to the beater shaft in such fashionthat they :are .detached from driving relationship when they are pressedinwardly toward. the beater shaft as when a solid object becomesentangled in the heaters of a mixer. Moreover, the :blades can beremoved .at will'for cleaning .or :to :have the blade support elementsfunction as drink mixers.

A household food mixer .20 provided with a pairiofiagitators 2.1constructed according to this invention is shown in Fig. 1. Only one ofthe two beaters 2| is fully visible in Fig. .1 for the other beater isdisposed directly "behind the first when: viewed from the side. Theblades 22a of the other beater, however, may be seen in this view;Fig.2, which is a horizontal section, shows the-relationship between thetwo beaters and the mannerin which the blades ;22 overlap orinterdigitate as the beaters rotate in opposite directions.

-1n' the mixer 2:: shown, the heater :shafts 2s 7 are 'removablysupported in drive spindles (not shown) within the power unit 24. Eachshaft has a pairof ears'24a (Fig. 3) which engage slots provided in thespindles to key the heaters .23 to the spindles. The present invention,however, is concernedprimarily with beater structure rather than themethod of .drixiring or supporting the beaters.

'At the bottom of each beater shaft23 a cruciform holder or bracket 25is provided which comprises a piece of metal out to the form of a crossand having its edges 26 bent downwardly to form four channel portions2'1. The brackets are preferably formed by stamping them from sheetmetal.

To secure the bracket to the beater shaft 23, the end of the shaft ispreferably undercut to have a square cross section and is slippedthrough a square hole at the center of the bracket 25. The projectingendis then peened to lock the bracket 25 to the shaft 23.

A similar bracket 30 is provided for supporting the upper ends of thebeater blades 22 The bracket 30 is identical with the bottom bracket 25except that it is adapted to be brazed to the shaft 23- instead ofsecured by peening. The upper bracket 30 is mounted on the shaft 23 sothat the channels 2! face upwardly instead of downwardly.

To support the blades, each channel portion 21 is provided withia pairof rectangular openings 3| which receive projecting lugs 32 provided atthe ends of the blades 22. If desired, a single lug receiving opening 3|in each channel 21 is 7 all thatis required, but it hasbeen founddesirable to provide additional openings to provide two positions inwhich the blades 22 may be installed. When mixing heavy substances suchas thick batters, etc., it is preferable to support the ends 4 of theblades in the innermost openings 3| to strengthen the arrangement andreduce the effective width of the beaters. This produces more of astirring action than a whipping or beating action and reduces the torqueload on the beaters somewhat. Furthermore, the blades are more solidlysupported when in this position than when supported ::in the outeropenings 31:.

'When mixing lighter substances or'when whipping cream or eggs it ispreferred to support the ends of the blades 22 in the outermost holes 3!to increase the degree of blade overlap or interdigitation. This causesmore cavitation and aeration of the mix and increases the speed ofmixing, for the blades 22 travel at higher velocitieswhen locatedfarther from the shaft 23.

When the blades are removed, the brackets and the holes therethroughserve as cutting and comminuting elements for preparation of drinks orthe like.

The blades '22 .are constructed of spring steel I bent to have the shapeshown in Figs. 4 and 5 when unstressed; To provide additional strengthand :a :wider cross sectional surface, the blades are preferably formedwith :ribs 33 which extend the length of the straight side portions. Thelugs 32 are bent inwardly :at right "angles to the adjacent portions :ofthe blade 22 :so as to pass straight through the openings 13! 'when'theblades are mounted on the brackets 25 and 39'. The preferred method .offorming the blades is to stamp them from annealed spring steel and then'to harden the steel by heating and quenching to give it the desiredresilience.

To install the blades 22 on the beater shaft 124, one end of the bladeis inserted into :one of the channels :21 with the lug 32 protectingthrough one of the open i-ngs 3-1. The other end of the blade is thenpulled outwardly and slipped into the corresponding channel 21 of the Iother bracket, the lug 32 being received in th correspo-nding opening31. Once installed, the blade 22 is firmly supported, the edges of thechannels 2'! giving lateral support and holding the blade in a trueradial position even against high mixing reaction forces; Wheninstalled, the blades 2i. assume the shape shownin Fig. 3. Furthermore,the sides of the blades 22 are transversely curved as at '29 with theconcavity thereof outwardly so that the leading edges, either directionthey turn, not only tend to dig outwardly into the mixture operated uponto assist in maintaining the supported relationship on the brackets,butalso serve .to give a greater aerating and mixing effect than possiblewith merely flat blades.

The manner in which the blades 22 are released when pressed inwardlytoward the beater shaft is shown inFig. 9. As the side of the blade 22is pressed inwardly from the normal straight line position, either orboth ends are moved axially out of the respective brackets or channelswith which such are engaged, and if the beater is near the bottom of abowl the upper lug 32 is lifted out of the hole 31 to release that endof the blade 22 at the same time or after which the lower end isreleased.

Thus the instant an object becomes caught between the rotating beaters,particularly in the zone of interdigitation, the blades 22 which itencounters are pressed inwardly and all free f the brackets to thebottom of the bowl and are pushed to one side by the brackets withoutsuifering any damage and without injuring the object. The'action of theblades 22 in this respect is substantially identical regardless of whichset of holes 3| in which the lugs are supported.

To remove the blades 22 from the beater 2|, all the operator has to dois to press inwardly on the middle of the blade to lift the lugs 32 outof the holes 3| and twist the blade 22 sidewise slightly to move theends onto the sides of the channels 21 with which movement the lugs 32are drawn out of alignment with the previously engaged holes 3| and passover any second group of holes as they are pulled free of the brackets25 and 30. The sides of the channels serve as locating elements so thatthe blades need not be strained if otherwise there might be a manualtendency to clear one end and not the other because of over-movement atthe cleared end. Furthermore, the sides of the channels on the bracketsmake it easy to slide the ends of the blades I past the outermost groupof openings to the innermost openings with the greatest of ease and 1least trouble. Of course, if desired, one'end of the blade 22 may belifted endwise and outwardly to free its lug 32, after which the otherend may be released by repeating the movement in the opposite directionat the other end of the blade. With this latter method, reverse movementof the blade may be made for attachment purposes.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a superior beater has beenprovided which has blades that are virtually immune from damage due tothe entanglement of objects in the rotating beaters. As a practicalmatter it is almost impossible to catch' an object in the beaters at anyother place than between the two beaters in the zone of interdigitation.If an object is to be caught otherwise than in this manner it must bepassed endwise through the space between a blade and the beater shaft.With the beaters whirling at high speed this is practically impossibleto do, for the object must be moved into the aforesaid space within thesmall increment of time which is required for a quarter revolution of abeater. -If the object is not moved all the way into the space duringthis time, the beater blade will knock it away instead of catching it.,

Another modification of this invention is shown in Figs. to 14 of thedrawings. The modified form of beater 40 is somewhat different inappearance, but it functions in the same manner to prevent damage to theblades 4| when an object forces them inwardly as does the preferredembodiment. Instead of being released to fly free-however, all of theblades 4| are simply released from drive relationshi at the top when oneblade is deflected inwardly. In this embodiment the upper ends of theblades are held in driven position by a collar 42 supported on thebeater shaft 43.

At the bottom of the shaft 43 a bracket 44 is provided which issubstantially identical with the bracket in the preferred embodiment.This bracket, however, is journalled for free rotation with respect tothe shaft 43 instead of being fixed thereto. As shown in Fig. 14, theend of the shaft 43 is undercut to have a smaller diameter. The bracket44 is provided with a round hole 45 which slips loosely on the undercutportion, and the end of that portion is peened over to form a retaininghead 45a.

The lower ends of the beater blades 4| are substantially identical withthose of the preferred embodiment except that the lugs 46 are somewhatgrees. Thus the lower ends of the blades 4| are hinged to the bracketand will notbecome detached while the beaters are in their operatingposition, but may be removed for cleaning or the like when the beatersare detached from the mixer motor or the motor is tilted to lift thebeaters out of their working position.

At the point where the tops of the blades 4| contact the shaft 43, apair of integral ears 41 are provided which transmit driving power tothe blades 4|. The upper ends 48 of the blades 4| are bent upwardly soas to extend parallel to the shaft 43 and are curved to have the samecontour as the circumference of the shaft as shown in Fig. 12'.

shown in Figs. 10 and 12, for the inside diameter of this part of thecollar 42 is substantially the same as that of the shaft plus thethickness of the blade ends 48. When the ends of the blades are snugagainst the shaft, two of the blade ends 48 engage the ears 41 in driverelationship. The other two ends 48 lie adjacent the two which aredriven by the ears and are driven thereby.

The lower part of the collar 42 is slightly larger in diameter than theupper portion and serves as a retainer to hold the blade ends 48 closeto the shaft 43 when they have been unclutched on striking an object. Inthis embodiment the blades 4| are resilient, but they normally have theshape shown in Fig. 10, being essentially unstressed when supported onthe beater shaft 42.

The action of the blades 4| upon striking an object is shown in Fig. 11.The blade 4|a has been bent inwardly by striking an object and its upperend 48a has moved upwardly from its normal position, lifting the collar42 a slight distance. As the collar 42 rises, the other three blades 4|remain in substantially the same position, but their upper ends 48 moveoutwardly into the larger diameter portion of the collar 42 dueto'centrifugal force. This outward movement disengages the blade ends 48from the integral ears 41 on the shaft 43, allowing the blades 4| tocome to rest While the shaft 43 continues to turn. Similarly the blade4|a which has been pressed inwardly has been disengaged from the ears41, for its end 48a has been lifted above the ears. Thus the beaterblades 4| come'to rest, since the lower bracket 44 is journalled to theshaft 43 instead of being fixed thereto, and are not damaged when aforeign object is caught in the rotating beaters just as in thepreferred embodiment. Once the collar has been lifted, the ends 48 ofthe blades bear against the shoulder formed between the upper and lowerpart of the collar to hold the collar in the raised position even if theblade Me which lifted the collar is relaxed.

After disengagement of the blades 4| from the shaft 43 has beeneffected, the mixer may be turned off and the entangling object may bere moved. The blades 4| are then moved inwardly, and the collar 42 ismoved downwardly to again secure the blade ends 48 in driving contactwith the lugs 41.

To disassemble the beater 49 for cleaning, the collar 42 is manuallyraised above the position shown in Fig. 11 to completely release theblade ends 48. The blades 4| may then be swung downwardly to ahorizontal positionso that the lugs 46 may be disconnected from thebracket 44.

The degree of cavitation may be adjusted in 2s zt'his embodiment inst asin ithe ipreier'red aform wonnespondinhladeiito $116 Mamet, ent!ithellugsAB in either mi avzospositions on the sldesmfieachiofssaidearmsierhdldinggsaid "in the :hottomtbraeket 11% :to vary the relativefhladesmflxed;angular-relationshipto=each etherdiameter'ofntherbladeelements 41. Since 013E336?- thatithe bladesof twof said heatersmounttdmhiperltions 'of the-heaters raecomplish d rmi 6diorfsEotationinclose pnoximity willainterdigl- :ofthemixingmanticulanly when thel'mixingzbowl 2 ate ,thontdnterference.

is not completely f'ull,:.1:onsiderable mariation :in m ifo'od mixertheater enmprising aeshait, mixing effect may daeanthievedmvendhou'gh-the meaans near one 'end 'of said shaft :formutating 1 13 of h flfi h r iustable. :radially extending zbracketsuppostedmn ThezembodimentillustraitedinPFigs.'l5 and lfieis -1'0saidzslrzaftghaving 4a plunality 0f i openings athesequitezsim'ilarvto'thatjustxlescribed exceptzthat the lthrongh disposed-flat itwozdifierentdistancesetrqm ie-alla A22) is shorter and ha's m) :largerdiameter sthevcente'r f :,said :shaft, a, iplurality af aflexible martian. vInthislembodimentxthe-blades 1112 are wblades,-lazprojecting lugion itheend zef eaoh-lofesaid released tofly outwardly:from -theshaft 437b whenb d \each {of aid;-1ugs sbeing memovably "1:

the collar 52b is lifted by one of the blades. EIh'e .15 ceivedoinoneriofasaid Openings fitor secureathefififlrblanket arran m n 1 upp nthe lower nesponding hlade :to the :hrackethsaid openings ends of thebladesr zlslridentiealwith :that' ofL-Fi'g. -heing disposed at:difierent distaneesetmm 'kthe .14. V :shaft azfd providingzmea-ns for'readyiadjustment ,fmzundemut portlson 5811s providedin the shaft an?the efiectiveml'ixinga1'ea::of-saidbeater. 43b just above the normalposition (lithe-cellar 5, food mixeribeater r F ha-ft v lg 32b- Wh n'anld je i r ek nd'on 'of the "ispaeembraclzets carriedhy theshafitoneiofesaid 'bla'des l riS 'b y, Dp 48b :braeketsihavingbl adere'c'eivin .channel'ssoneth'e lifts :the 'fC01-18J"Q 2b t0 the'pos'itioshow hottdmrface there-ofand-thezotheriofsaidbpackets 115," the undercut'fill 'catches 1311643011211 and .1101(15 'zhavingblade'zregeivingchannels in :theuppepfage "it' th lev D otheit blades :Mb thereof,i'each 'of "said channels in each-zefwsaid fly utwa d y as w and'theblade which-has brackets shaving radially spaced o enings in sthe liftedthe collar-42b is tunclutched since'its end b'ottgm 7171;1 :3 1 -four@Icuate fle ibl blade y por ionfis above the lugsWib. men'ts ehaving'ends receivable in said chann'els,

Consequently, it'will be seen from theforegoing 1 n *lugs-gon :tendsuopeach of tim blade 1 description of :the embodiments disclosed and*ments, each lugieflgaging :Qne-.0f1the5QpeningS-D their operation "howzthefobjiects set forth-herein inckfth'ewends of the blades int'he'channe'ls.

are accomplished, .andaalthbugh certain-em bodi- *v5 m mixer a shaft,await vie-f ments*havebeen-shownand deseribed hlerem for :cmdiiormgbmcketsvcarmed by the .shaxft qone af purposes of disclosing theinvention, it will be apgi k t being. disposed at theEbottonpefijjheparen't'tothose skilledin theart thatvariousand -35 haft a having fourChan-11913011 ftheebQttQm further modifications, ch n n 11569 may 19%'face thereofzand-the otherof said :bracketsbeina 'made'witlioutdepartinglfrom the spirit-and subdigpgsed xdisjan'ce above f-t z'bottom@f 233111 stance of the invention, the scope 'of which is shaft Saidlast mentioned bracket having -commensurate"With-"the"followmgi'cleims=marine-18in "the "upper face *theredf; eachs-ofi said Whatisclaimedis:*4 channe1s in "each of said "brackets having TWO 1. A heater :for a fod mixer -wmprising vva radially spaced openings :inthe bottomathernf,"shaft, a bracket at the :bottom of said-"shaft hav- -four.:mguate :flibIeTbMd -Qem nt havinglends ing a p urality of radially-ext nd n bladeUP- receivablein said Channel's,iaind hlgsionttheeends pfl fchanile'lstherein, similar "bracket --.of'-feaeh;of'the' blade elements,"eachlugengaging spaced from the ifirstonsaid-shaft, "each-of said e of thopeni-ngs 'to-lock-the1ends o ze rblades brackets having openings'the'rei-n through @the in t g mbottoms "of the channels, a plurality offlexible "7 finz'a-rfdodmixer(bater?afishajft .;and apajrflf bladeelements supported on said brackets, the cruciform b c t l n -b theihgft one f 'IBIIdS Said "elements Ibeing "received asai'd'zbracketsbeing'disposedza t the'bottomzof the channel a a oneach d of eachiobsaidshaft and having four ehannel'sron the ibottor'n ibladeelements, Said sm thmughfisaid fac'e thereof and "the other ofisaidbracketsibe cp nefoe-Secure 101M8510 ithe dispesed. -'a distance above ?the 'bottom Idfsaid beater for "a d mlxer fmnprlsing shamed-id l'ast mefiti'on'edbracket Having fou'i' sha'ft, a br'aeket all the bottom'of saidshaithav-,fihannls in t upper f g zfih' 'fi g mg (if 5m *ing a plura ity of a' ali ii m m ?WP 5 hainnls in '-each of said mack-ens h'avin'g awn radiallyp hihgs in the bottom'itlieredf. I 4. r v V .L- J, 'first 'onsaid'shaft'and disposed with'sitscham els g s g i gg g iig zgg ggfi g 353?ll ifi bfiiji a 55 51 1 3 3533 32 1: 13? a *m v-q e an sslefiningbhen'nelswsaid r lity o f fiexible hlade elemezits supported-en-s'aid "channels haymg anally m lh ackets theends ofsai'dz'el'emntsbeing-'r eeel-ved jthmugh' "and blade elements i Tight zangle saidhanfiels andwa ldg on ieach-endaofieach 'l 'wl w dlP i f 3 of said'blade elements, said lu'gs each :hlade im S g wi d 9 hP wiprojecting{tewardsieachotherflmougmsaidopenh blades m a fixed positionwith respect-"to 333G161?)- ings to secure the blades :to the brackets.eme I I a I 3 i3. Ifood mixer heater for use in a food a foodmlxerfbeater the combination? mixer having interdigitating beatersjc'omprising l'cmdmg a 'R l f fi a :shaft, meansnear-oneendofrsaidrshaft forF-roblades bracket havmgradlallvadrmsthereon i ta'tingrsameya bracket having radially extending":10 posed at thee-bottom of-saidnsha ftffor Ieleasably*armszsupportedonsaid' shaft, each of saidiarms lli i 70116 and of eachof 58316 l des, "a having :an opening therethroujgh, a plurality iof -.neans;o'nsaids'ha ft spaced-from'saidbracket for flexible blades, aprojectingulug on the endof each llelfizlsablyv m fi pp "ends b fi ofsaid blades, eachof said lugs =being .removably E e ents drlverelationship, said means nr i in 10118 of said -Qpening :secure eeluding apa-ir ofradial ears on the shaft 'for'engaging the upper endsof the blades and a slidable collarfor holding the blade ends adjacentto the shaft.

10. In a food mixer beater the combination including a shaft, aplurality of arcuate flexible blades, a bracket journalled for freerotation on said shaft, said bracket having radial arms thereon disposedat the bottom of said shaft for releasably supporting one end of each ofsaid blades, and means on said shaft spaced from said bracket forreleasably supporting the upper ends of said blade elements in driverelationship.

11. In a food mixer beater the combination including a shaft, aplurality of arcuate flexible blades, a bracket having radial channelstherein disposed at the bottom of said shaft for releasably supportingone end of each of said blades, and means on said shaft spaced from saidbracket for releasably supporting the upper ends of said blade elementsin drive relationship, said means comprising a pair of radial ears onthe shaft for engaging the upper ends of the blades and a slidablecollar for holding the blade ends adjacent to the shaft, and the bracketbeing journalled for free rotation with respect to said shaft.

12. A food mixer beater comprising a shaft, a plurality of arcuateflexible blade elements, a bracket disposed at the bottom of said shaftfor releasably supporting one end of each of said blades, and means onsaid shaft spaced from said bracket for releasably supporting the upperends of said blade elements in drive relationship, said means comprisinga pair of radial ears on the shaft for engaging the upper ends of theblades and a slidable collar for holding the blade ends adjacent to theshaft.

13. A food mixer beater comprising a shaft, a plurality of arcuateflexible blade elements, a bracket journalled for free rotation anddisposed at the bottom of said shaft for releasably supporting one endof each of said blades, and means on said shaft spaced from said bracketfor releasably supporting the upper ends of said blade elements in driverelationship, said means comprising a pair of radial ears on the shaftfor engaging the upper ends of the blades and a slidable collar forholding the blade ends adjacent to the shaft.

14. A rotary heater for a food mixer comprising a shaft, a plurality ofspring blades having reenforcing ribs and being bent to a predeterminedarcuate shape which is maintained under normal mixing operations, meansat one end of said shaft for supporting the lower ends of the bladesincluding a cruciform bracket having openings in each arm thereof forreceiving projecting lugs on said blades, said arms having side elementsfor engaging the sides of the blades to hold same at right angles toeach other, and means spaced upwardly on said shaft from said firstmentioned means for supporting the upper ends of said blades in driverelationship, said last mentioned means being so constructed andarranged as to release the upper ends of the blades from driverelationship when the arcuate portion of said blades are forced inwardlyto raise their upper ends.

15. A rotary heater for a food mixer comprising a shaft, a plurality offlexible arcuate blades, means at one end of said shaft for supportingthe lower ends of said blades including a bracket having openings forreceiving inwardly projecting lugs on said blades, said bracket havingflange elements for engaging the sides of the blades to hold same atright angles to each other, and means spaced upwardly on said shaft fromsaid first mentioned means for supporting the upper ends of said bladesin drive relationship when said blades are pressed inwardly to deformtheir curvature and raise their upper ends from their normal restingposition.

16, The combination of claim 15, the last mentioned means including anear on said shaft and a collar for holding the upper end of one of saidblades in contact with said ear.

17. The combination of claim 15, the last mentioned means including abracket similar to the first mentioned bracket and said blades beingengageable in openings in said bracket in drive relationship.

18. A food mixer beater comprising a, shaft adapted to be rotativelydriven, a plurality of arcuate beater blades disposed about said shaftat the lower end thereof, means for releasably attaching one end of eachof said blades to said shaft including an element rotatableindependently of said shaft to which the blade ends are attached, andmeans for releasably clutching the opposite ends of said blades to saidshaft in driven relationship.

19. A plurality of interdigitating. beaters for a food mixer in whicheach beater comprises a shaft, a bracket at the bottom of said shafthaving a plurality of radially extending blade supporting channelstherein, a similar bracket spaced from the first on said shaft, saidbrackets being mounted on the shaft with the channels of the respectivebrackets facing away from each other, and a plurality of spring bladeelements supported on said brackets, the ends of said elements beingreceived in said channels under tension in the elements urging oppositeends of each element towards each other.

20. In a food mixer beater a shaft, a pair of brackets carried by theshaft, one of said brackets being disposed at the bottom of the shaftand having a plurality of blade receiving channels on the bottom facethereof and the other of said brackets being disposed a distance abovethe bottom of said shaft, said last mentioned bracket having a pluralityof blade receiving channels in the upper face thereof, each of saidchannels in each of said brackets having an opening in the bottomthereof, and a plurality of arcuate spring blade elements having endportions engageable in said channels for lateral support and ears on theend portions received in said openings for radial support of the bladeelements, said engagement being maintained under tension in the elementswhich urges the ends of each element towards each other.

FRED C. SCHWANEKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,738,112 Myers Dec. 3, 19292,054,666 Van Guilder Sept. 15, 1936 2,161,867 Kessel June 13, 19392,161,881 Musolf June 13, 1939 2,182,921 Herter Dec. 12, 1939 2,185,846Hacmac Jan. 2, 1940

